Ice-creeper



A. E. THOMPSON.

CE GHiEPER.

APPLICATION FILED uzc. n. ma.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

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A'v-rys.

1-: common FLANOIIRAFIi cm, WASHINGTON. I) C.

PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS E. THOMPSON, OF BB-OOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

ICE-CREEPEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

Application filed December 14, 1918. Serial No. 266,780.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS E. THOMP- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ice-Creepers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an effective and relatively inexpensive ice creeper adapted to be conveniently applied to the bottom of a shoe sole and prevent the sole from slipping in any approximately horizontal direction.

The invention is embodied in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a bottom plan View of a creeper embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of one of the tubular rivets shown by Figs. 1 and 2, the rivet being shown by full lines, before its tubular end is upset to form the ice-engaging members hereinafter described, said members being shown by dotted lines.

Fig. 5 is an end view on a reduced scale, of the creeper as it appears when attached to a shoe.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a different form of the ice-engaging members.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

In the drawings, 12 represents a body piece applicable to the bottom of a shoe sole, and preferably of flexible material, such as harness leather. The form of the body piece is such that it is adapted to conform to a portion of the bottom of a shoe sole. The body piece is provided with suitable attaching means, preferably straps 13, having buckles 14.

In the piece 12 are inserted a plurality of tubular rivets of well known form, each rivet comprising a head 15 and a shank 16 the outer portion of which is tubular, and is adapted to cut its way through harness leather, or other like material.

The tubular rivets are inserted in the piece 12, with their heads at the inner side of said piece. The tubular ends of the rivets project from the outer side of the piece 12, and are split and upset by the usual means provided for upsetting tubular rivets, the split and upset ends forming arched iceengaging members 17, the crowns of which are spaced from the outer surface of the piece 12, as shown by Fig. 2. This spacing is insured by making the length of the rivets considerably greater than the thickness of the piece 12, as indicated by Fig. 4, so that the members 17, instead of being spread into a flat condition on the outer side of the piece 12, are arched and bear on the piece only at their outer ends.

It will now be seen that each rivet when upset as described, provides an annular group of arched ice-engaging members, said members radiating from a common center, and each member presenting two ice-engaging edges. The radial arrangement of said edges enables them to resist slipping in practically all approximately horizontal directions.

The ice-engaging members thus formed are not liable to out carpets, and to objectionably mark or disfigure a floor. I have found in practice that the members 17 are adapted to sustain long continued wear, without being rendered inoperative. I find this to be due to the fact that the arched members yield slightly when pressed against a hard surface.

I prefer to utilize some of the tubular rivets for attaching the straps 13 to the piece .12, the rivets being passed through the straps, as well as through the piece 12, and their heads engaging the straps as indicated by Fig. 2 When the rivets are upset to form the described ice-engaging members, said members confine the rivet heads in engagement with the straps 13.

As shown by Fig. 1, the straps 13 are spaced apart, and some of the rivets are.

engaged with a portion of the iece 12 between the straps. The rivets w ich are in serted in this intermediate portion of the piece 12 are utilized to secure a reinforcing piece 18, which is of the same thickness as the straps 13, and prevents the intermediate portion of the piece 12 from being flexed inwardly between the straps.

To prevent the piece 12 from slipping on a shoe sole to which it is applied, I provide inwardly projecting spurs 19, which, as shown by Fig. '3, are the pointed ends of tacks, the heads of which bear on the inner side of the piece 12, and are held in contact therewith by the reinforcing piece 18. The

points of the spurs may be caused to indent the shoe sole by the Weight of the wearer, before the straps are fastened, the spurs being held by the straps in engagement with the sole and preventing the piece or body 12 from slipping on the sole. Similar spr is 19 may be held in lace by the straps 13, as indicated by dottec lines in Fig. 1.

The outer ends of the members 17 may be turned inwardly, as shown by Fig. 6.

The straps 13, located at opposite end portions of the body piece, constitute spaced apart seats for a shoe sole. The reinforcing piece 18, located between the straps, con stitutes an intermediate seat for the sole, and prevents inward flexure of the portion of the body between the straps, and inward yielding of the anti-slipping means 17 connected with said portion.

The seats formed by the attached portions of the straps and by the intermediate piece 18, keep the outer face of the body piece parallel with the tread face of the sole, so that each of the groups of prongs 17 is enabled to function pro erly, neither of said groups being permltte to yield toward the sole sufficiently to impair its engagement with a slippery surface.

The reinforcing piece 18 is of much smaller area than the body piece 12, and may be made of relatively inexpensive material. The reinforcing pieee and the straps are spaced apart, so that the flexibility of th body piece 12 is not affected by the seatformingmeans provided by the straps and the reinforcing piece.

I claim:

1. An ice-creeper comprising a bod piece applicable to the bottom of a shoe so e, and having attaching means, and a pluralit of tubular rivets inserted in the body plece,

Home of this patent my be obtained for live cents each,

Washington,

the tubular ends of said rivets being split and upset on the outer surface of the body piece, and forming arched ice-engaging members arranged 1n annular groups, the members of each group radiating from a common center, and each member presenting two ice-engaging edges.

2. An ice-creeper comprising a body piece applicable to the bottom of a shoe sole, attaching straps extending across the inner side of the body piece, and tubular rivets inserted in said straps and body piece, the heads of said rivets engaging the straps, While the tubular ends of the rivets are split and upset on the outer surface of the body piece to confine the rivets heads in engagement with the straps, and form arched ice-engaging members.

3. An ice-creeper comprising a flexible body piece applicable to the bottom of a shoe sole, attaching straps extending across the inner side of the body piece at opposite end portions thereof, the attached portions of the straps constituting raised sole seats, a reinforcing piece on the inner side of the body between the straps, and constituting an intermediate raised sole seat, and tubular rivets inserted in said straps, reinforcing piece and body piece, the heads of some of the rivets enga 'ng the straps, while the heads of the ot er rivets engage the reinforcing piece, the tubular ends of the rivets being upset on the outer surface of the body ieee to form anti-slipping means, the remforcing piece preventing inward fiexure of the portion of the body piece between the straps, and inward yielding of the antislipping means connected with said portion.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

AUGUSTUS E. THOMPSON.

by addressing the "Oommlui'oner o! Iatantl, 0- 

